Body of Missing Idaho Hiker Found in Pioneer Mountains

Lucas Richardson, 25, often found his "true strength" in the mountains, according to his mother, Stephanie.

The body of Lucas Richardson, a missing hiker from Hailey, has been found, the Custer County Sheriff's Office confirmed today.

The Sawtooth Mountain Guides located Richardson, 25, on Oct. 14. His body was recovered Oct. 15. According to a news release, Richardson was found the near a technical section of rock on the ridge of Devil's Bedstead—the fifth highest peak in the Pioneers.

Officials called off the search for Richardson Sept. 21 after search teams scoured 51 square miles of the Pioneer Mountains. The search began after Richardson didn't show up for work on Sept. 14. Even after the official search concluded, Richardson's family hired the Sawtooth Mountain Guides to look for their son.

His cause of death is still under investigation. According to previous reporting, Richardson liked to boulder—a rock climbing sport that doesn't use ropes or harnesses.

Richardson was last seen on the Summit Creek trailhead, where his car was parked. He did not have his coat or tent with him. Search teams from the Blaine and Custer county sheriff's offices, as well as Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue, contributed 2,000 man-hours and up to 50 trained search and rescue volunteers in the field at a time.

Drones, helicopters search dogs and mountaineering teams found no trace of Richardson and called off the search after cold, harsh weather endangered search crews.

"We've conducted a thorough search of the area and at this point feel further searches would not yield any new clues," Blaine County Sheriff Gene Ramsey told the Idaho Mountain Expressat the time. "Based on the widespread area that has been searched and the nature of the terrain, we feel that we cannot further endanger the safety of our technical teams."

Richardson's body was found five miles from Summit Creek as the crow flies in an off-trail area, according to the Ketchum Ranger District.

Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue volunteer

Search and rescue crews used helicopters to search the rugged area where Richardson disappeared.